Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation
Abstract
Untreated group A streptococcus pharyngitis, along with the resulting post-infection sequelae of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) of young susceptible individuals occurs in lower income countries, including Rwanda. This is largely due to limited access health care and inadequate knowledge about the detection and treatment of the infection. Approximately 33 million people worldwide live with RHD. In Rwanda, the prevalence of RHD is estimated at 6.8 per 1000 school children. With only nine cardiologists serving a population of nearly fourteen million, there is a significant gap in accessible RHD care across the country. In Rwanda, nurses, estimated to number around ten thousand, are often the first healthcare professionals to encounter patients with RHD. However, these nurses are frequently found to lack the necessary knowledge and skills for effectively managing RHD patients. Patients with RHD require prompt disease recognition, early diagnosis, and an evidenced based management plan to be implemented for optimal patient outcomes. Nurses would benefit from an educational program to improve knowledge and skills in assessment, diagnosis, and management of Streptococcal pharyngitis, ARF and RHD. The focus of the educational program will include the recognition, diagnosis, and management of streptococcal pharyngitis, ARF, and RHD. The project design will be a train-the-presenter educational intervention with a pre-test and post-test to assess for the nurses’ Streptococcal pharyngitis, ARF, and RHD knowledge and skills following the program.
Notes
Reference list attached as separate document file.
Sigma Membership
Delta Beta at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quality Improvement
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Interprofessional and Global Collaboration, Continuing Nursing Education, Rheumatic Heart Disease, Youth, Rwanda
Recommended Citation
Carragher, Julie, "Impact of Novel Rheumatic Heart Disease Education on Rwandan Nurses' Knowledge and Skills" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 79.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/79
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Invited Presentation
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-09
Impact of Novel Rheumatic Heart Disease Education on Rwandan Nurses' Knowledge and Skills
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Untreated group A streptococcus pharyngitis, along with the resulting post-infection sequelae of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) of young susceptible individuals occurs in lower income countries, including Rwanda. This is largely due to limited access health care and inadequate knowledge about the detection and treatment of the infection. Approximately 33 million people worldwide live with RHD. In Rwanda, the prevalence of RHD is estimated at 6.8 per 1000 school children. With only nine cardiologists serving a population of nearly fourteen million, there is a significant gap in accessible RHD care across the country. In Rwanda, nurses, estimated to number around ten thousand, are often the first healthcare professionals to encounter patients with RHD. However, these nurses are frequently found to lack the necessary knowledge and skills for effectively managing RHD patients. Patients with RHD require prompt disease recognition, early diagnosis, and an evidenced based management plan to be implemented for optimal patient outcomes. Nurses would benefit from an educational program to improve knowledge and skills in assessment, diagnosis, and management of Streptococcal pharyngitis, ARF and RHD. The focus of the educational program will include the recognition, diagnosis, and management of streptococcal pharyngitis, ARF, and RHD. The project design will be a train-the-presenter educational intervention with a pre-test and post-test to assess for the nurses’ Streptococcal pharyngitis, ARF, and RHD knowledge and skills following the program.
Description
A train-the-presenter nursing educational and skills training program was implemented in Rwanda. The goal of this project was to enhance the knowledge and skills of nurses with limited knowledge and skill in the care of patients with Streptococcal pharyngitis, ARF and RHD. Developing Rwandan content experts and presenters was a crucial component of the program leading to the program's success evidenced by data analysis and ensuring the sustainability of this nursing education program in Rwanda.